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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · bear · band · fork · mate · kick

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — to breed
  5. kick — in football
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. band — a ring
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fork — to eat with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com